Sport

RUGBY UNION: Gosford denied at the death

Farnham Common, formerly Old Pennanians, surprised a below-par Gosford All Blacks side, who went down 20-18 in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier Division.

Gosford were outscrummaged and beaten to the rucks by the bottom club in the first quarter, going behind to Ben Coppins’s try on seven minutes.

The visitors came under extreme pressure before Ben Bodinham, Jack Briggs and Liam Donnelly combined well, with the latter brought down inches from the line. Farnham No 8 James Moffat increased their lead with a try converted by Tom Boardman, before winger Stuart Waknell dived in at the flag to get Gosford on the scoreboard.

Winger Patrick Siret then ran in from 22 metres for an unconverted try to make it 12-10 at the break.

In a scrappy second half, Gosford took the lead through fly half Bill Smith’s try, Tim Ellis’s conversion attempt hitting an upright.

Boardman levelled the scores with a penalty and Gosford ran two kickable penalties without success before Ellis kicked a third to put them 18-15 up.

However, they could not maintain their momentum in the dying minutes as the resilient home side broke clear and winger Dean Jones squeezed over in the corner for the winning try. A depleted Bicester side lost 30-22 at Chesham as they paid the price for conceding 19 penalties.

The visitors were only 10-3 in arrears at half-time, Steve Risbridger’s 35-metre penalty having given them the lead.

Mark Wagstaff and Anthony Jaycocks went over for Chesham’s tries.

After the interval, a break by Bicester scrum half William Jones set up a try for prop Dave Behan, which Risbridger converted.

Billy Moore slotted a penalty for Chesham, who then added further tries via Hugo Joliff and Jack David, both converted by Moore.

They looked home and dry, but Bicester battled back with a try from Risbridger, which he converted, and another by lock Jamie Stevens.

Two more penalties were then awarded to the home side and Moore landed one of them to end Bicester’s revival.